From the Depths to the Surface
by Agwen
Summary: Shibuya Psychic Research goes on a company getaway to an outdoor onsen. Everyone comes along, including the Davises. Suddenly, someone breaks down in tears on the women's side of the fence…


"Maybe it's a mixed onsen."

"A what?!"

Mai flushed at Ayako's offhand remark, while Masako hid her face behind her sleeve. Takigawa coughed loudly in response. He scooted away from the women and Yasuhara, and went over to Naru and the other men.

The group stood on the parking lot in an onsen town in the middle of spring.

Ayako scoffed at the reactions and stared down at the shocked girls.

"Prudes. Even if it was a mixed onsen, all of us would be wearing towels!"

"A towel is hardly enough!" Masako said, almost shrieking.

Yasuhara laughed.

"Unfortunately, this one is separated by gender."

Mai's eyes squinted at her co-worker in suspicion.

"Unfortunately...?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and continued in a dramatic tone.

"Last time I went to a public bathhouse... it was filled with elderly men. They were not pretty to look at."

Yasuhara's gaze shifted to the group of young men in front of the entrance.

"At least, this time, I can console myself with eye candy."

Masako huffed.

"...Pervert."

Ayako shouted into the direction of the other men. "Hey men! You'd better watch out for this four-eyes!"

The monk groaned.

"Please spare me, boy!"

The other men ignored Ayako's warning.

Mai and Masako laughed a little at the banter.

Suddenly, a female voice speaking in English caught the girls' attention. It was Madoka.

They turned, and found Madoka talking to the couple who stood next to her.

Martin and Luella Davis.

They had come to Japan earlier this week and had been taken around by Madoka, Lin and Naru in Tokyo for some sightseeing. Obviously, they didn't do any of that last year. Back then, they had come over from England after hearing about the discovery of Eugene's body. Together with Naru, they brought the remains back for a funeral in their hometown.

For the Davis couple, Japan had become a painful memory.

Naru remained with them in England, but in less than two months he decided to continue his research in Japan.

About a year has passed since then.

Martin and Luella looked a little out of the place in their group; middle-aged, obviously foreign and spoke little to no Japanese. As a result, it was a little hard to communicate with them. Though Luella's regular attempts at improving her language capabilities were admirable.

John and Yasuhara had kept their company while in Madoka's car on the way to the onsen town. As a law professor, Martin seemed to enjoy exchanging thoughts with Yasuhara, who happened to be a law student at a university in Tokyo. Luella loved hearing about John's life in Japan, his many stories about his church, and working together with SPR.

"It's great that they can do this with us here," Mai said. "Don't you think so too, Masako?"

Masako nodded.

"Yes."

Currently, Madoka was explaining something to Naru's parents about the outdoor onsen and the area they were in.

In the first place, it had been Madoka's idea to do a company getaway with the whole group. Not only the SPR office members—Naru, Lin, Mai, Yasuhara and Taka—, but also the Irregulars—Takigawa, John, Ayako and Masako—, as well as Lin's student, Chiaki, had been invited.

And somehow, Naru had agreed to this company getaway. By the disgruntled look on his face, it seemed that he wasn't there because he wanted it in particular.

They entered the facility building.

The guys headed into the direction of the men's changing room.

After Martin left his wife's side to follow the other men, Madoka clapped her hands together.

"Well then, ladies. Shall we?"

And so, the women walked into the changing room in their own area.

Ayako, Taka, Masako and Mai took neighbouring lockers, while Luella, Madoka and Chiaki took the ones on the other side of the room.

"Mai."

Mai pulled off her shirt, then looked at her friend.

"Yes?"

"When Ayako mentioned the mixed onsen," Taka said, "were you thinking of the boss in the nude?"

Mai blushed fiercely.

"N-no, I did not!"

"Oh, I bet you did~"

"Shut up!"

Masako sighed and dropped her kimono down to her feet. Those two had been noisy all day.

They neatly folded their clothes and put them in a basket inside their lockers.

"Hey, haven't you noticed?" Mai said.

"What?"

Taka and Masako turned to look at Mai, who stood in her underwear. Very pink.

"DId you notice she was being stand-offish during the whole ride?"

"Ah, Chiaki-senpai?"

"Yeah."

They subtly turned their heads to the other side.

Chiaki was also in her underwear. White with blue patterns.

"Actually," Taka whispered. "She turned down my invitation to the onsen a couple of times."

"Huh?"

"I insisted she would come. I mean, she'd regret not coming to the onsen at the boss's expense."

"Why didn't she want to come?"

Taka shrugged.

"I don't know. Chiaki-senpai seems to feel down about something. I wonder if she had a fight with her parents." She paused. "You know, they haven't been on good terms since the spoon bending incident."

Apparently, Chiaki's parents had accused her of being an attention seeker.

"Maybe I should ask if she's okay," Mai replied, staring in worry at the young woman.

Taka nodded.

They watched Chiaki unhook her bra.

Masako turned around and sighed in exasperation.

"It might be a private matter. You shouldn't pry in that case."

Mai protested with a hushed voice. "But what if she needs help?"

Suddenly, someone closed the locker with an audible click.

It was Ayako. She had already undressed.

The girls looked in awe at her rounded body.

"Masako is right," Ayako said, putting a hand on her bare hip. "If she wants to talk, she'll come to one of us."

The girls nodded meekly.

Ayako winked.

"Come on, don't just stand there. Let's shower."

* * *

 _"...Can I have your autograph?"_

 _"My autograph?"_

 _"I'm a fan. Always been one."_

 _"I see. ...Of course you can have one."_

 _"I... I always thought we had a lot in common. I didn't feel alone seeing another girl around my age with an ability. Your show, no, you,made me feel that I wasn't alone."_

* * *

After taking a shower, the women began to gather in the onsen area.

Ayako and Madoka eyed each other at once.

"Wow," Ayako said. "Nice rack."

Madoka winked.

"Your girls look good too."

Mai and Taka stared at them in amazement.

 _Such confidence! So this is the world of adult women..._

On the other hand, Masako couldn't help but blush at this exchange.

Madoka turned to look at the shower area.

"Luella! Are you done?"

"Yes!"

Luella came over, with Chiaki following after her.

"Be careful," Madoka said. "It's a bit slippery over here."

Masako looked away from them with a heavy blush. Mai tilted her head.

"Masako, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Mai. It's nothing."

The body of hot water was wide. Several women, mostly older ladies, were in the onsen area and quietly enjoyed their time.

It was advisable not to spend more than ten minutes in the onsen in one session.

They entered the onsen one by one. The girls chose a place next to a large stone to relax, while Ayako sat down next to Madoka. But to everyone's surprise, Luella sat down next to Masako and the other girls instead of sitting with the other adults.

They quietly enjoyed the hot spring water until Taka spoke up.

"The guys are there too now, I bet." She turned to look at the fence, then shouted: "Hey Yasuhara-san, how's your view?"

No sound came from the men's side, but an old lady gave her a scrutinizing glance.

"Shhh, quiet!"

"Oops, sorry~"

"Really, Takahashi-san." Masako sighed. "You should mind your manners."

Taka pouted and dipped her head half-way in response.

Masako shook her head lightly and looked at Mai. Her face was red.

"Mai, are you okay?"

"It's... hot."

"Maybe you should get out."

"It's fine. I've only been here for a minute."

Taka giggled.

"Oooor, perhaps she's thinking of her boss on the other side of the screen."

"I wasn't thinking of him!"

A voice cut through their banter.

"Don't you think you've teased her enough?"

The girl with long hair frowned at them.

Mai laughed a little.

"Chiaki-senpai... It's fine, I'm used to it."

"No really, Mai. If it's making you uncomfortable—"

Masako looked away from them and tuned out the conversation. She felt awkward to mingle.

Then, by accident, she found herself staring at the woman sitting next to her.

Luella tilted her head in curiousity.

"Are you okay?"

Masako nodded.

"...I am."

"I see."

She didn't say anything else. Her eyes closed.

It looked like Luella was enjoying her stay in the onsen.

But then a thought slipped through Masako's mind.

 _I should be the one to ask if you are okay._

Prior to his parents' arrival, Naru had requested everyone not to say a single word about Eugene's current status. His parents assumed that their son has moved on.

If they ever found out, it would absolutely crush them.

Masako bit her lips.

Of course, she couldn't say anything about their encounter at Urado's mansion; how Eugene had cheered her up in such a dire situation, that he had reassured her that everything would be okay, that she wasn't alone, that all of them were trying to save her...

And that there was still hope...

But Masako couldn't tell Luella or Martin what their son had done for her.

She heard a sob.

"I'm sorry, Mai. I don't think I can—"

"Chiaki-senpai?"

Her slender body was in Masako's full view.

Her eyes widened at the pained expression on Chiaki's face.

Tears rolled down from her cheek down to the long tresses covering her breasts.

She left the bath.

Masako looked down at the water and pressed her legs tightly together.

 _What was going on?_

Luella, Madoka and Ayako looked equally confused, but both Taka and Mai had guilty expressions on their faces. Ayako's voice cut through the silence.

"You asked her, didn't you?"

Taka nodded with an ashamed expression.

"We did." Mai frowned. "...I thought it would be better if she opened up."

Madoka rose up.

"I'll find her."

"Me too. I want to apologize," Mai said. Taka nodded again.

The girls followed Madoka out of the bath.

Masako looked at Ayako who had remained behind as well.

"Aren't you going?"

Ayako shrugged.

"I'm not close to her. What about you?"

"I'm the same."

Ayako tilted her head.

"You're about the same age. Shouldn't you be getting along?"

Masako breathed out slowly.

"I... It's not that we don't get along."

Ayako frowned. It seemed like she didn't know how to respond.

After a moment, she got up.

"That girl will dehydrate. I'm going to grab a bottle of water," Ayako said. "Luella should come out of the bath too. There's a bench over there. Keep her company, Masako."

"Of course..."

Ayako waded through the water and got out.

"What did she say? Dehydrate?"

Luella seemed confused.

"We sweat a lot in the onsen and she's crying... it means she might dehydrate," Masako explained.

"That makes sense. I hope she'll be fine."

Masako nodded.

"I think we should get out too. Let's sit over there."

She pointed at a bench.

"Alright."

They got out and sat on the bench.

"I'm sorry..." Luella said. "For keeping you here. She's your friend too, right?"

Masako blinked. Luella was apologizing.

She shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I'm not very close to her."

* * *

 _"Thank you for saying this to me... No one has ever told me this."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Yes... I'm so glad."_

 _"No, I must thank you."_

 _"I'm embarrassed to say this, Kasai-san, but would you like to be my friend?"_

 _"Friend?"_

 _"Yes, I would love to be your friend."_

* * *

They sat on the bench for a while. The fresh spring air cooled their heated bodies.

Masako gazed at the empty onsen. The old lady from before had left the bath.

Luella spoke again.

"Are you close to Noll?"

"We're just... colleagues."

"Naru received letters from you in England..." Luella made a hand gesture of a phone near the side of her head. "And he called you."

Masako widened her eyes. She had written him many letters, but he never sent any back.

In of those letters she had apologized to Naru.

"But he couldn't read it..." Masako said.

Luella smiled.

"Still, thank you for thinking of him."

She looked up at the bright and sunny sky.

"Do you mind if I talk in English?"

Masako blinked.

"Of course, I don't mind."

She wasn't good with speaking, but listening was one of her stronger points.

"Thank you. I'll keep my words simple."

Luella looked down again.

"I want to get something off my chest, but it's hard to talk to Madoka about this. She invited us to come and I am sure she hopes that I would enjoy this trip, but... I can't help but have mixed feelings."

She pressed her eyes together for a moment, then continued.

"I feel guilty for enjoying everything so much. Ever since Gene's death, I couldn't live my own life... or rather, I couldn't let myself be happy again. I can't help but blame myself for letting Gene go alone, and it's hard to even... look at Noll. He lost his brother because we let him go like that. We worry about him a lot."

Luella sighed.

"Noll tells us he's fine, but... the guilt is still there. It's eating at me. Martin keeps quiet, but I'm sure he feels the same."

Masako almost teared up.

"I don't know what to say..."

"It's okay. Thank you for listening. I feel much better now."

Luella smiled warmly.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"How about you? You seem bothered by something."

Masako blinked.

"Me?"

"Yes. If you keep it down the whole time, it might never rise to the surface again," Luella said.

Masako hesitated.

"I don't know if I—"

"It's fine. Just tell me."

It reminded Masako of speaking with her grandmother. However, she wasn't nearly as forward as Luella. It was hard to talk to grandmother about this... or her friends for that matter.

"I want..."

Still, she felt bad about bothering her with such a trivial thing. Not to mention Masako wondered how Luella would react if she knew how badly she had handled her relationship with Naru. She also felt guilty—

"Yes?"

Luella gave her an encouraging smile.

Masako inhaled shortly, then breathed out.

"...I want someone who understands me and I want to stay by their side."

She blushed lightly.

"Do you already have someone that you like?"

"...Yes."

"That's good," Luella said. "Are you close to each other?"

Masako made a bitter smile.

"No."

"But will you confess?"

She sighed.

"...I don't want to ruin what we have. If we break up, then I wouldn't know what to do."

"So that person likes you back, isn't that right?"

"Yes..."

"But you might regret it if you don't take a chance," Luella said, "and... you can't keep those feelings suppressed forever."

* * *

 _"But I... I don't want to be just friends."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"I think... you're beautiful. On the outside, and on the inside."_

 _"I don't understand..."_

 _"After getting to know you, you became even more beautiful to me."_

 _"..."_

* * *

"Perhaps you're right, Luella-san.."

Masako smiled a little.

Instead of bottling things up, she felt much better now. Luella really was Eugene's mother.

"Thank you for your advice."

At that moment, Ayako and the others returned from the shower area. The girls were giggling about something. Masako kept her gaze firmly down at her feet until they passed.

"What happened?" Luella asked.

When she looked up, Madoka stood in front of Luella. She bent down a little and whispered in English.

"The girl had a fight with her parents. It was a... delicate subject."

"Oh my. Is she all right now?"

"More or less."

"More or less?"

Madoka briefly glanced at Masako, who nearly crumpled on the spot.

 _Oh no._

"Who knows." Another glance. "She might feel even better if you come join her in the onsen!"

Madoka's bright smile stunned her on the spot.

 _I'm going to die_.

Luckily, the meaningful glances went unnoticed by Luella.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll gladly return. I'm feeling a bit cold now."

The woman was about to stand up from the bench and follow Madoka, but Masako stopped her.

"Wait, I wanted to tell you something. About Naru."

"Yes?"

Masako remembered Eugene's words.

"Everything will be fine. Don't worry, Noll is not alone. We support him, all of us," she said, then added. "So please, live your life happily from now on... knowing that."

"Thank you..." Luella looked a bit stunned. "You know, that sounds just like something Gene would say."

Masako blushed. "Really..."

 _She is definitely Eugene's mother._

"But there's something of you in there as well," Luella said and smiled. "If you don't mind, I'll pass your words to my husband."

"Of course..."

Masako smiled.

 _I hope you're happy, Eugene. Wherever you are._

When they returned to the onsen, Madoka said, "Oh, I forgot to ask. What have you been talking about?"

Luella sat down next to her and put a finger against her mouth.

"It's a secret."

In the meanwhile, Masako moved closer to the girls.

A spot next to Chiaki had been left open. She stared at the others in suspicion, but all of them pretended to not be paying attention to them at all.

Chiaki gazed down at the water. There was a deep blush on her face.

She wouldn't even look at Masako.

 _I should sit down._

Masako could hear Mai and Taka giggle, and Ayako was checking out her nails for no reason, while staring into their direction. The lack of subtility was maddening.

 _They definitely knew._

Chiaki apologized in a tiny voice.

"I'm sorry. I said a little too much."

* * *

 _"I'm sorry. Did I say something weird?"_

 _"N-no. I just... I didn't expect this at all."_

 _"I can leave if you want me to..."_

 _"Kasai-san?"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"I'm sorry. ...Will you give me some time?"_

 _"...Of course."_

* * *

Masako found herself unable to say anything.

They all knew.

Her heart was beating like crazy and nothing could come out of her throat.

 _I should do something, but what?_

Her hand started to move on her own, but she stopped herself in time.

"Ch-chiaki-san."

Chiaki looked stunned.

Masako inhaled sharply. All this time she had been calling her 'Kasai-san' and now—She could slap herself. Masako had started to think of her as Chiaki inside her head.

It took Chiaki a while to answer.

"Y-yes?"

"Can I—" Masako breathed and then asked with the tiniest voice. "Can we hold hands?"

Chiaki stared at her in disbelief, but nodded.

Masako's hand moved through the water and another hand grabbed it.

An awkward smile appeared on Chiaki's face as they held hands under water.

"I can't believe this."

Masako huffed.

"You'd better believe it."

* * *

The facility building had a few rest rooms where the guests could rest or nap for a short time. The older ladies, as well as an exhausted Mai and Taka, went into one of those rooms. It was quite busy already.

Masako passed to the other rest room, which were occupied by some men, including Takigawa, Lin and Martin.

"It's busy," Chiaki muttered.

"Yes," Masako replied. "Would you like to eat something instead?"

She nodded.

"Yes. Let's eat."

They headed to the dining hall, their hands lightly touching as they walked side by side.

Masako itched to hold Chiaki's hand, but the sight of three familiar young men made her stop. John, Yasuhara and Naru were sitting at a table, drinking tea while presumably waiting for their food to arrive.

Yasuhara spotted them first.

"Ladies. Jealous of missing out?" he asked.

Chiaki frowned. "What?"

"The ultimate eye candy."

Yasuhara was referring to the conversation which took place earlier outside.

Naru put a hand against his forehead, and sighed. John laughed awkwardly.

Masako shook her head.

"No. Not at all."

Yasuhara inclined his head.

"Not at all?"

"I've seen something far better," she said, glancing at the girl standing next to her.

There was a short silence before Yasuhara replied.

"Ohhh, I bet you did."

"P-perv," Chiaki said, blushing.

"Let's go."

Masako pulled Chiaki away from the table.

"...Were you referring to me?" she said.

Chiak's face went white.

"I was talking about Yasuhara-san."

They sat down at a table in the corner of the dining hall.

"But what I said was just as perverted," Masako said.

"That's... true."

Chiaki looked a little embarrassed, pointedly staring at the menu on the table.

"...I don't think I can get used to this,"

Masako couldn't help but smile.

"I think I could."

* * *

 **Author's note**

I wanted to write a one shot taking place in an onsen, because I wrote a massage fic (Loosen Up) and a sauna fic (In the Heat) earlier this year. This time I wanted to put the spotlight on the female characters in Ghost Hunt and give a go at writing a F/F pairing... one that has never been done before. I hope you enjoyed it!

Masako's letters and Naru's phone call were mentioned in Fuyumi Ono's short story Trajectory of a Satellite.


End file.
